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Shadow and Shade

"I stayed up all night finishing Shadow and Shade, a fascinating fantasy world of magic, family, and what happens when the two collide. A tough and enchanting tale that will have you listening to the forest and talking to the wolves. I can't wait to see what Gerrard writes next!" Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath

The power went out about half an hour into the storm. We were playing Clue by candlelight. I sat at the Ballroom; my wife Lynn sat by the Hall; little Kevin sat by the Dining Room; and little Emily sat by the Billiard Room and the Library.

“It’s your turn,” Lynn said to me.

I laughed. “Right.” I rolled a 3 and moved three spaces.

“Colonel Mustard walked with trepidation toward the Conservatory door,” Emily said. “Through the windows, the lightning flashes showed trees whipping in the wind. There had been a struggle when Mr. Boddy died…”

“You’re creeping me out!” Kevin said.

“Me too,” I added.

Everyone laughed.

“You’re not creeped out, are you?” Emily asked.

“Little bit.” More than a little bit. Lynn and I made eye contact. She knew.

The wind blew up outside. Branches scratched the upstairs windows. Every time I heard that, I waited to hear the old tree break and come crashing into the house. Worse, the power was out. The sump was off. The basement hadn’t flooded, but the water was rising.

Emily rolled. Miss Scarlet moved into the Billiard Room.

“Colonel Mustard… in the Billiard Room…”
“I’m never going to make it into that Conservatory!”

“… with the Lead Pipe.”

“He wouldn’t be walking with trepidation if he was the killer,” Kevin said.

“He could be pretending,” Emily said, unperturbed.

“Or he could be schizophrenic,” Lynn supposed.

“Eww!” Emily cried.

“A psycho! Awesome!” Kevin cried.

“You have been watching way too many detective shows. Besides, I’m too genteel to be a psycho.”

“Maybe you’re a gentle psycho,” Kevin said.

“This conversation is sick,” Emily observed.

“Killing me softly… with his song…,” Lynn hummed.

I handed my Lead Pipe card to Emily. It was Lynn’s turn to roll.

Another flash of lightning lit up the house. Kevin moaned. I rubbed his shoulder. The shadows in our faces and the living room rafters above us looked like an eerie photo negative. Another crash of thunder rolled over the house.

Lynn stopped moving Miss White. “Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“That clatter.”

We all listened. It sounded like metal hitting the side of the house when the wind blew. “Damn it. I think the gutter’s coming loose,” I said.